A Russellville native has embarked on a journey to enlighten the nation.

Local author Ken Aden has written and published a challenge to spiritual leaders nationwide this month. With the publishing of his first book, “Toxicity,” Aden said he is directly protesting the insensitivity of the modern prosperity gospel.

“After a 10-year Army career, I went on a spiritual journey,” Aden said. “I found the answers I was looking for, as far as the scriptures are concerned, and I found that there’s so much confusion in churches and it’s causing a lot of folks to wonder why things are a certain way. I believe in the Bible and I believe that many religions have twisted the scriptures to suit their particular needs.”

A current student of theology at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. and a member of Russellville’s Church of the Nazarene, Aden said he is particularly concerned about the role of churches in society. As a supporter of local church-based nonprofit organizations such as the Ray of Hope Food Pantry and The Russ Bus, Aden said a significant portion of each book sold will go directly to those organizations.

Aden said his book calls for the church to better represent its local and national missions on a less self-focused level.

“When you look at so many of these mega-preachers on the television and the radio, there is an emphasis on bringing in a lot of money each year,” Aden said. “But in retrospect, very little of that money goes back into the community.”

However, even when churches do successfully support their community, Aden said there is an ever-widening rift in the church. “The biggest thing that I want people to realize is that the church will never be perfect,” Aden said. “The church is slow to change, but people can make a difference. But it starts with studying the Bible and learning the truth, not making it fit your agenda.

“That’s how we ended with all of these different denominations. It’s gotten to a point now where anybody who has a different opinion just goes off and starts a church. That’s how we ended up more than 45,000 Christian denominations.”

In a final call to Christians everywhere, Aden said he is challenging spiritual leaders to stand true and show the world what being a genuine Christian is.

“As Christians living in the secular-minded world of today, we need to be able to explain why we believe the way we do,” Aden said. “The excuse, ‘because the Bible tells me so,’ doesn’t work. It’s time for Christians everywhere to get back to the basics. God is love. Let’s set the example.”